Grandparents as Caregivers

Date posted: 11/30/2004

2000 was the first year the United States Census Bureau gathered data about 'Grandparents as Caregivers'. Because of the very low number of people under 30 years old who were grandparents, the percentages were taken from the population aged 30 years and over, not the entire population. Data were collected on whether a grandchild lived in the household, whether the grandparent had responsibility for the basic needs of the grandchild, and the duration of that responsibility:

1. Existence of a grandchild in the household (co-resident): This was determined by a "Yes" answer to the question, "Does this person have any of his/her own grandchildren under the age of 18 living in this house or apartment?"
2. Responsibility for basic needs: This census question determined if the grandparent was financially responsible (food, shelter, clothing, day care, etc.) for any or all grandchildren living in their household.
3. Duration of responsibility: The answer refers to the grandchild for whom the grandparent had been responsible for the longest period of time. Duration categories ranged from less than 6 months to 5 years or more.

What this chart shows: Grandparents Financially Responsible for Co-resident Grandchildren - United States, Colorado, Larimer County - 2000

 

Data Source: Census 2000: United States, Colorado, Larimer County

See data table

What these data tell us:

Nationally, 3.6% of the population aged 30 or older had grandchildren living in their household. Of those grandparents with co-resident grandchildren, 42% had financial responsibility for their grandchildren. Colorado had similar percentages: of 2.8% of the population that had co-resident grandchildren, 43% were also financially responsible for their grandchildren. Larimer County had lower percentages in both categories, 1.8% and 38% respectively.

What this chart shows: Grandparents Financially Responsible for Co-resident Grandchildren, Larimer County Cities and Towns - 2000

 

Data Source: Census 2000 (see table for city links)

See data table

What this chart shows: Grandparents Financially Responsible for Co-resident Grandchildren - Unincorporated Larimer County, Cities and Towns, 2000

 

Data Source: Census 2000, Larimer County

See data table

What these data tell us:

Fort Collins (279), Loveland (286) and unincorporated Larimer County (299) had about the same number of grandparents financially responsible for co-resident grandchildren, even though Fort Collins had a lower percentage (33%) than Loveland (42.4%). While the other communities had similar or higher percentages, their actual numbers were quite a bit smaller.

Of Colorado's grandparents responsible for co-resident grandchildren, 25% were aged 60 and over. This was slightly lower than the national rate of 29%. No age data were available for counties. For a breakdown of age groups by community, see Population by Age.

What this chart shows: Length of Time Grandparents were Financially Responsible for Co-resident Grandchildren - Larimer County, 2000

 

Data Source: Census 2000: Larimer County

See data table

What these data tell us:

In 2000, over half (54%) of Larimer County grandparents financially responsible for their grandchildren had been so for more than three years. Of Colorado's grandparents responsible for co-resident grandchildren, just over a third (34.5%) had no parent present. 'No parent present' is defined as a household where the grandparent is the householder, a person under 18 is the grandchild of the householder, and no adult child of the householder is present in the household. The national rate was 34%. 'No parent present' county data were not available.

Additional Information:

On Compass -

• Adoptions
• Children in Families- Single and Two Parents
• Children in Out-of-Home Placement
• Median Family Income
• Population by Age
• Population Size & Growth
• Poverty

Outside Compass -

• Federal Poverty Guidelines, 2004
• Grandparenting, American Association for Retired Persons (AARP)
• Grandparents as Parents, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension
• Healthy Aging, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension
• Larimer County Senior Services, select 'Senior Citizens' category
• United States Census Brief on Grandparents Living with Grandchildren

Data Table:

Grandparents as Caregivers, United States, Colorado, Larimer County - 2000

	United States		Colorado		Larimer County
	Number	Percent	Number	Percent	Number	Percent
Grandparents living in households with one or more grandchildren under 18 years	5,771,671	100%	66,903	100%	2,573	100%
Grandparent responsible for grandchild	2,426,730	42%	28,524	42.6%	978	38%
Less than 1 year	555,668	22.9%	7,393	25.9%	248	25.4%
1 to 2 years	563,403	23.2%	6,858	24%	208	21.3%
3 to 4 years	374,251	15.4%	4,274	15%	187	19.1%
5 years or more	933,408	38.5%	9,999	35.1%	335	34.3%
Grandparent not responsible for grandchild	3,344,941	58%	38,379	57.4%	1,595	62%

See chart Percentage of Grandparents

Length of Time

Grandparents as Caregivers in Larimer County Cities and Towns - 2000

	Berthoud		Campion			Estes Park		Fort Collins
Grandparents living in households with one or more grandchildren under 18 years	92	100%		29	100%	30	100%	846	100%
Grandparent responsible for grandchild	13	14.1%		24	82.8%	21	70%	279	33%
Less than 1 year	0	0%		0	0%	0	0%	51	18.3%
1 to 2 years	0	0%		0	0%	5	23.8%	60	21.5%
3 to 4 years	13	100%		7	29.2%	0	0%	77	27.6%
5 years or more	0	0%		17	70.8%	16	76.2%	91	32.6%
Grandparent not responsible for grandchild	79	85.9%		5	17.2%	9	30%	567	67%

Continued - Larimer County Cities and Towns

	Laporte		Loveland		Red Feather Lakes		Timnath		Wellington
Grandparents living in households with one or more grandchildren under 18 years	48	100%	674	100%	15	100%	3	100%	52	100%
Grandparent responsible for grandchild	17	35.4%	286	42.4%	15	100%	2	66.7%	22	42.3%
Less than 1 year	0	0%	64	22.4%	0	0%	0	0%	7	31.8%
1 to 2 years	0	0%	18	6.3%	15	100%	2	100%	6	27.3%
3 to 4 years	10	58.8%	64	22.4%	0	0%	0	0%	2	9.1%
5 years or more	7	41.2%	140	49%	0	0%	0	0%	7	31.8%
Grandparent not responsible for grandchild	31	64.6%	388	57.6%	0	0%	1	33.3%	30	57.7%

See chart Percentage of Grandparents

Number of Grandparents

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